228 Memorial Museum holds Jeju 4.3 Uprising Exhibition
There is no border in the protection of human rights. Taipei 228 Memorial Museum has been hosting the special exhibition, “228 International Human Rights Exhibition: Jeju 4.3”, since November 15th. The exhibition that runs from November 15th 2019 to April 30th 2020, encourages younger generations to seek the truth through study and research. Its interactive nature fosters empathy in the visitors. Opening time is from 10 am to 5 pm from Tuesday through Sunday.
Photo by DOCA
Xiao Ming-zhi (蕭明治), the curator of the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum, 3rd on the left,
joins guests for a photo.
Tian Wei (田瑋), the DOCA Deputy Commissioner, said at the opening ceremony that the exhibition relived the scenes of the Jeju 4.3 Uprising. He expressed hopes that people won’t forget the lessons learned from this tragedy and that it never happens again. Liang Zuo-xun (梁祚勳), the chairman of the Jeju 4.3 Peace Institute, led a group of the families of the victims to attend the opening. Some family members of the victims of Taiwan’s February 28 Incident were also present. Both groups wrote down wishes of peace for each other and for everyone.
Photo by DOCA
DOCA Deputy Commissioner Tian Wei (田瑋) gives a speech at the opening.
The Mountain Amusement Club, a famous band from Jeju, performed at the opening. They played Korean traditional songs and also some Taiwanese poems. Their performance helped soothe the scars of history.
Photo by DOCA
A famous band, Mountain Amusement Club, from Jeju performed at the opening.
The exhibition put together valuable historical articles that helped visitors understand the meaning of human rights. Ju Li-xi (朱立熙), executive director of the Korean Culture Association, has done research on the Jeju 4.3 Uprising for many years. He said that he was pleased that Hyun Ki-young had been invited to give a speech at the opening. Hyun is an important figure in the Korean literary world.
The theme of the exhibition is “Breaking the Silence,” an implicit call to refrain from keeping silent about the truth. Conviction about the value of human rights should bloom and spread out like flowers. The exhibition floor plan was designed as a time tunnel. When visitors walk in the entrance, they see historical films projected in a timeline. The exhibition route is flanked by Jeju style walls. Walking along it helps visitors better understand the complicated nature of the Jeju 4.3 Uprising. They could also write down their thoughts on a message board.
A Fitting Exhibition Venue
Taiwan’s February 28 Incident happened just one day before the Jeju shooting incident which caused the 4.3 Uprising. It is thus very meaningful to host this exhibition at the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum, said Xue Hua-yuan (薛化元), the president of the Memorial Foundation of 228. “I hope that everyone learn lessons from history and support the protests in Hong Kong,” he said. He expressed his hope that all Asian countries would eventually enjoy a democratic future.
Photo by DOCA
Hyun Ki-young (玄基榮), a human rights writer from Jeju, writes a comment about this exhibition.
Liang Zuo-xun said that the February 28 Incident and Jeju 4.3 Uprising were tragedies caused by violent response from the government. In the past, it was forbidden to tell the truth about the Jeju Uprising. On the other hand, since 1980, more and more research has been conducted on the Taiwan February 28 Incident and the truth has been revealed over time.
Photo by DOCA
Liang Zuo-xun (梁祚勳), the chairman of Jeju 4.3 Peace Institute, at the exhibition.
The exhibition includes a wide variety or monthly activities, including literature, music, and films.
Location: Taipei 228 Memorial Museum
Hosts: Professor Zhu Li-xia (朱立熙) and Professor Guo Qiu-wen (郭秋雯)
Main guests: Hyun Ki-young, the human rights writer, and Yao Jia-wen (姚嘉文), the former president of the Examination Yuan
Location: Taipei 228 Memorial Museum
Host: Professor Zhu Li-xia (朱立熙)
Main guests: the representatives of Jeju 4.3 Uprsing, Xue Hua-yuan (薛化元), the president of the Memorial Foundation of 228
Location: The plaza in front of Taipei 228 Memorial Museum
Location: The plaza in front of Taipei 228 Memorial Museum
*** The host has the right to change the movie.
Location: Taipei 228 Memorial Museum
*** Please register at the counter. Limited to 30 people.
Location: The plaza in front of Taipei 228 Memorial Museum
Performers: Zhang Ya-chun (張雅淳) and Xu Xin-lei (徐馨蕾)
*** The host has the right to change the program.
The Jeju Uprising
After WWII, Korea won its independence from Japan, and the UN established an interim government. More than 60 thousand people came back to Jeju from Japan. There was a sudden increase in the population that caused a shortage of jobs, food, and other material necessities. People complained a lot. On March 1st, 1947, after a memorial event of independence, a police officer on horseback ran over a child.
Violence broke out and armed police shot people on the street. Six people were killed and 8 seriously wounded including women and children. The government mishandled the conflict, incurring more discontent among the people. On April 3rd, the Jeju Uprising broke out with constant confrontations between the police and the people. The leader of a big strike was arrested and the police waged an armed suppression of the revolt. People arrested were tortured in jail.
On April 3rd, 1948, armed rebels from the South Korean Workers' Party attacked a few police stations, mutilating those found inside, and burned polling centers for the upcoming election. The government decided to suppress the riot and many people fled to the mountains. Pursuing government soldiers indiscriminately arrested or shot people in the mountain areas.
The Korean government requested the US navy to blockade Jeju Island. Government soldiers and local police in Jeju committed a massacre. On November 11th, 1948, the government declared martial law and many people were executed without a trial, including many old people and children. Martial law was lifted in February 1949 but not before villages on Mt. Hallasan were reduced to ashes. This was the period when most deaths occurred in this incident. After 7 years of eradication, there were no armed mobs left. In 1954, the commissioner of the Jeju police finally opened Hallasan area and discharged the village guards. The Jeju 4.3 Uprising ended after 7 years and 7 months.
Even though the uprising had ended, attempts to discover the causes didn’t start until Yi Seung-man stepped down from his position. Efforts to arrive at the truth were intermittent due to the political situation. Korea’s military dictatorship ended in 1987 and in 1989, the “Jeju 4.3 Research Institution” was established. It began to publish a lot of books related to the incident, and did excavation work at the massacre site. After publication of “The Truth of the Jeju 4.3 Uprising,” the Korean government finally cleared the names of the victims. It took 55 years for the victims to get an apology from the government.
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